Towel rack



'NOV- 1936. H. P. MERTEL TOWEL RACK h Filed June 25, 1954 W TTO/F/VEY WA m, M A & s 5 m T .MW 3 T m M m (inn 4% A Z 0 4 I P M 7 r7 M m M W APatented Nov. 10, 1936 PATENT OFFICE TOJWEL RACK Henry P. Mertel,Ridgefield, N. J.

Application June 25, 1934, Serial No. 732,265

1 Claim.

This invention relates to towel-racks.

In accordance with the rubric of the Roman Catholic Church it isnecessary for the priest, before ofliciating at the mass, to wash anddry his hands on a towel of specified size and during such washing tosay a given prayer and it is also necessary in accordance with saidrubric, after the priest is through officiating at the mass, to againwash his hands and dry them. This subsequent drying of the hands must,according to the said rubric, be done on a clean, fresh towel of similarspecified size which must be kept separate from the towel originallyemployed or any other used towels. During the last-mentioned washing anddrying'of the hands the priest is required to repeat the same prayer.

It is conventional practice to have said prayer printed on a loosecelluloid tablet which may be read by the priest during both washingsand dryings of his hands and to place the different towels on racks orshelves at different positions relative to the lavabo in which thepriest washes his hands, thus relying on the memory of the priest to dryhis hands on the specified towel at the specified time and to keep thetwo towels or sets of towels separated from each other.

In accordance with my invention I provide apparatus adapted tofacilitate the aforesaid ritualistic operations by bringing intodefinitely fixed relationship the said prayer and the towels, visuallyidentifying each of the towels to be employed and thus avoiding errorsdue to failures of memory.

With these ends in view, I provide a prayer tablet, preferablycomprising a permanent fixture having means for securely fastening thesame to a wall in the sacristy of the church where the lavabo in whichthe priest washes his hands is located, and I provide a common frame forsuch a permanent or fixed prayer tablet, having the specified prayerpermanently inscribed thereon, and for a rack adapted to independentlycarry and to separate from each other two towels or two sets of towels,and I also provide on the body of said prayer tablet above the towels,identifying indications comprising legends showing that towel or set oftowels to be used before officiating at the mass and that towel or setof towels to be used after ofiiciating at the mass.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises thecombination of members and arrangement of parts so combined as to co-actand cooperate with each other in the performance of the functions andthe accomplishment of the results herein contemplated, and comprises inone of its adaptations, the species or preferred form illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a combined prayer tablet and towel-rackembodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a corner of the tablet andframe showing the connection of the towel-rack bar to the edge of thetablet;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the directionof the arrows, and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the directionof the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing, l indicates the body portion of a prayertablet which is preferably made of bronze, or other suitable metal andwhich is provided with a raised frame around its edge having anysuitable border design. The central portion of the body of the tablet isprovided with the words of a specified prayer as indicated by the wordPrayer at 3 in Fig. 1, and is also provided with the usual churchinsignia or cross 4.

The tablet is preferably made of a width substantially equal to thewidth of two towels or two sets of towels 5 and 6, which in accordancewith the rubric of said church are of a specified size, and I providebelow the prayer a towel-rack bar 1, extending across the tablet fromedge to edge thereof and as shown I utilize the frame of the tablet l toprovide a bracket for mounting and supporting said rod 1. Asillustrated, said rod is fastened to hearing brackets 8, 8 formedintegrally with the frame 2 around the edge I of the tablet I. As shown,ears are formed on the frame to provide bearing brackets 8, 8'. Each ofthese ears is, as shown at 8 in Fig. 2, bored .and an externallyscrew-threaded member 9, fixed in the bracket cooperates with a socketmember ID having an internally screw-threaded portion at one end and atthe other end a socket portion adapted to receive one end of the rackbarI. A forked member II at the middle of the tablet receives the bar 1 toassist in supporting the same and also divides the tablet into two towelsections. One of these towel sections is designated on the tablet withthe Latin words Ante missam and the other section is identified with theLatin words Post missam. I thus am enabled to provide a definite andpermanent identifying indication for each of the two towels or for eachset of two sets of towels.

The identifying indications Ante missam and Post missam are preferablypermanently molded into the metal of the tablet and the prayer islikewise so molded. I thus provide permanent association of the prayerwith the towels employed while saying or reading the same and I thusavoid relying on the memory of the officiating priest, who is often astranger to the church in which he celebrates mass.

As shown, I provide screws I2 for fastening the supporting element formy towel rack to the wall of the sacristy.

Having described my invention, I claim:

A towel-rack embodying, in combination, a flat metallic supportingelement adapted to be attached to a wall and provided at its edges witha frame member, fixed brackets on said frame at opposite ends of saidsupporting element, fixed members in said brackets each having anexternal screw-thread, and a socket member at each end of the towelsupporting member having an internal screw thread cooperating with oneof said fixed members to permit connection to and disconnection of thetowel-supporting member from said bearing brackets.

HENRY P. MERTEL.

